Exploration
ArchiveSeven men want to share a few thousand pieces of gear with the world. And they need your help.
To best appreciate the fruit of the vine, you have to go to the source. And if the source happens to be the eastern foothills of the Andes in Mendoza, Argentina, all the better. This high-altitude terroir produces rich flavors, but the environs are also ripe for exploration by bike,…
National parks are America's greatest recreational asset. Now an overdue movement will make them even better.
These images, from some of Outside's favorite photographers, will make you want to pack your bags and get lost in adventure.
Dream all you want about your adventure bucket list, but isn't it better to get right out there and start ticking off boxes? Let these trips be your inspiration—or your exact blueprint.
After joining one of the largest moving protests in history with her daughter, Katie Arnold learns that orchestrating an effective march requires more than walking.
Travel to the best slopes of Switzerland in style—a newly crowdfunded sleep-in bus will take you there
And the wildlife that makes them.
Drop your jaws and pack your bags. Outside's best adventure photography of the year.
Norbu Tenzing Norgay is deeply familiar with Mt. Everest—his father famously made the first summit with Sir Edmund Hillary in 1953. But alongside the beauty and adventure, there's real danger, especially for Sherpas. It's time to make a change.
Turn your campsite into a first-rate base camp
Ragsdale and her family find that it's impossible not to leave a trace in an isolated Amazonian village—and for the village not to leave something with them.
Three new essential summer reads examine justice and payback in the wilderness.
A growing number of trail runners are finding a new way to test themselves—without race fees, bibs, or finish line chutes—in search of virgin trail and new course records.
Ravaged by historic flooding, the European nation is struggling through crisis. But behind the destruction is a gem of a country well worth a second look.
The answer is yes, you can use your other half—your iPhone—abroad. But here are a few tips for making sure you have money for something other than international roaming. First, call your carrier and inquire about their particular packages for out-of-country travel. For instance, AT&T will charge…
Grappling with social cues in a foreign country
When 24-year-old David Sneddon disappeared hiking around western China, officials chalked it up to a drowning. Only a decade later did another scenario emerge: maybe David had been kidnapped and taken to North Korea.
Here are six of our favorite vehicles (and add-ons) to help you find freedom on the open road.
Europe has a secret. It's called Albania—a Maryland-size playground of rugged peaks, emerald seas, and ripping rivers. The only catch? It's really poor, graft is rampant, and there's little environmental regulation. Pack your bribe money for a warts-and-all jaunt through the wildest post-Communist state on earth.
Last September, a trekking company's guided trip through the wilds of Papua New Guinea was shattered when machete-wielding men attacked the native porters, killing two on the spot and injuring many more. The motive appeared to be robbery, but Carl Hoffman knew something else was at work—ancient tribal patterns of violence that, he knew, would inevitably be avenged
Veteran Everest guide Adrian Ballinger was one of many leaders who cancelled their costly expedition this year. But it wasn't due to money, politics, or even danger.
To help Mom relax, recharge, and get ready for whatever’s next, whether it’s your bucket-list trek—or hers.
GPS locator SPOT launched in 2007—and has already notched 3,000 rescues
Enveloped by New York City's concrete jungle, a family finds its perception of adventure and the outdoors irrevocably changed.
Space might not yet be the final frontier, but it’s an intriguing one. The International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) recommends places for Earthlings to stargaze—especially places absent the yellow haze of light pollution. The association’s Dark Sky Places program sets a high bar for national and international communities,…
Can adventure fix a broken family?
Off-roading gets high-tech
Shaking it up at Rancho Santana
Enjoyable family trips require positive attitudes, not five-star hotels.
Caroline Ciavaldini and James Pearson—The North Face’s premiere rock climbing couple—met on a rock face in Antalya, Turkey; they named their story Once Upon A Climb.
Adventures with kids in Nicaragua
Lyme disease is up 21 percent in dogs, but that doesn’t mean your ultimate adventure companion has to stay in the kennel—so long as you take these precautions before hiking this summer.
It’s true that Costa Rica stopped being a traveler’s secret sometime during the Reagan Administration. But who cares? Its relative popularity doesn’t diminish the untouched beauty and adventure that this Central American country offers travelers—especially if you go off the beaten path. Follow these tips for planning…
The volcanic remains at the heart of Aniakchak National Monument—the least visited site in the national park system—are a trippy mishmash of postapocalyptic cinder cones, hardened lava, and flame-colored walls. The only catch? Doing it right involves days of trekking and rafting through some of the planet’s toughest, most bear-heavy terrain.
For the first time, armed police will patrol Everest Base Camp. just don’t expect them to curb the growing conflicts.
Amy Ragsdale learns to appreciate life's simple beauties through her children's eyes
Why trek when you can fly?
If you're starving to death in the wilderness, your body's on the menu.
Last year, a media-shy billionaire bought the flailing Lonely Planet travel-guide empire, then shocked observers by hiring an unknown 24-year-old former wedding photographer to save it. Charles Bethea straps in for a bizarre ride as a kid mogul tries to remake a legendary brand for the digital age.
The team behind Google Street View is going off-road, and they're turning to you for help
A handful of primate researchers believe Sasquatch is real, and they take their search for the creature very—very—seriously.
Teenager sets new world record for the fastest unsupported trek from Antarctic coast to South Pole
A fascination with a cartoon animal and a Class V river lured her to the empty wilderness of Tasmania. Turns out the raw side of Down Under offers an amazing number of pristine places to camp, surf, hike, mountain bike, and kayak. Stephanie Pearson goes all in.
Sixteen-year-old Noah Graham was lying down during a late-summer camping trip when he felt jaws clamp down on the back of his head. He reached back and touched a Wolf’s face.
The Sonora Pass Café—and its chef—takes trail magic to new heights.
There are some things you just can't leave home without. We're not just talking about your smartphone—there are more important things in life, especially if you're headed outside.
Who needs muesli and mulled wine? The U.S. hut scene is gaining ground. These DIY trips put you in the best of the backcountry.
Ten—OK, make that 19—things every cyclist should do
Recharge dead batteries off the grid with these portable power plants
Do nudists know something we don't? If you mean where the best luxury spots are, then yes.
One of the original seven Mercury astronauts, Carpenter grew up in the 1930s in Boulder, Colorado, roaming the Front Range on foot, horseback, and skis. As his daughter, Kris Stoever, explains, the freedom fueled an exploratory spirit that eventually took him to space.
The polar explorer talks about the gear, prep, and mental conditioning necessary to undertake what he hopes will be longest unsupported polar journey in history
If you’re in the market for a do-it-all mountain bike, the hardtail Trek Stache is less expensive than a comparable full-suspension model and, for the most part, keeps up just fine.
At the annual Adventure Travel World Summit in Namibia, a bicycle proves the best way to experience your surroundings.
Do family vacations that are meant for learning about other cultures devolve into the wild mistreatment of historical sites? These guidelines aim to help you help them see what's so special about all things ancient.
Whether you think e-mountain bikes are a godsend or an abomination, as companies like Currie Tech prepare to roll out whole lines of electric-assist trail rides for 2014, it’s clear the debate is upon us.
The Black Diamond pack that promises to set a new standard for avalanche survival gear
A guide to getting the right people interested in your plan
Next-gen satellite phones make it easier than ever to stay connected
I want to hike up a live— or at least dormant—volcano. Where can I go without getting scorched?
I work on trails to help my local mountaineering club. Is there anything light enough to carry along in my backpack?
Four men are attempting to row a small fiberglass boat through a notorious Arctic route that has claimed the lives of countless explorers. Why? Because it's now possible, thanks to climate change.
Our summer is the perfect time to migrate south to New Zealand, where July means trekking-perfect temperatures and no crowds
Over the past five years, nine new national monuments have joined the ranks of America’s protected lands. But Michael Brune, the man who heads up the Sierra Club, would like to see more. Elizabeth Hightower Allen joins him, his family, and a pack of rambunctious llamas on a tour of New Mexico’s highlands.
Norway has everything the alps does—towering mountains, five-star restaurants, loads of culture. You also get fjords, glaciers, epic whitewater, and a few thousand polar bears.
I’m headed to Hawaii, but lying on the beach is not my thing. What hikes would you recommend?
Who needs headlamps? From a bioluminescent bay in Puerto Rico to a Japanese trail lined with glowing mushrooms, these ten hikes are at their best when it's dark out. Pack your camera (leave the flash at home) and prepare to be amazed.
A team of African-American climbers heads to Denali this June with a lofty goal—to inspire more diversity outside
How do you teach a boy to love the wilderness when you’re terrified of what might happen out there? Hiking with his ten-year-old son, William Broyles confronts his memories of Vietnam–and one very large grizzly. (And three other great essays on fatherhood, from Jack Hitt, W. Hodding Carter, and Anthony Doerr.)
Why the intrepid Vanagon has once again earned its place as the ultimate outdoor vehicle
A brilliant American financier and his wife build a lavish mansion in the jungles of Costa Rica, set up a wildlife preserve, and appear to slowly, steadily lose their minds. A spiral of handguns, angry locals, armed guards, uncut diamonds, abduction plots, and a bedroom blazing with 550 Tiffany lamps ends with a body and a compelling mystery.
If triple-digit temps are common where you live, making sure you choose the right dog for your climate is key to having a happy pooch.
A brilliant adaptation of Kon-Tiki brings the legend of Thor Heyerdahl to the masses
Mountaineer Garrett Madison has summited Everest with 28 clients in the last four years and is one of the world's top expedition guides. He shares his first update of the Everest 2013 season from Base Camp.
9 people changing the face of global adventure
Trips and activities to keep you outside during the mucky months
When the Florida Wildlife Commission offered $1,500 for the most Burmese Pythons caught in the Everglades in a month, they had no idea that almost 1,600 would-be wranglers and a cabal of journalists would flock to the cypress swamps for what turned out to be more of a reality-TV audition than a good ole-fashioned bounty hunt. Now that the dust has settled, what